By Wings of Liberty
My Kingdom is Not of this World
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Protestant Christianity affirmed that Christ’s kingdom was “not of this world.” John 18:36
One of the criticisms from the Protestant Reformers against the outrageous worldly excess of the papacy was its many violations of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not only did the papacy accumulate gold and silver sufficient to make a sultan blush, not only did it flood the world with superstitious and unbiblical teachings such as the doctrine of purgatory, the veneration of the saints, the teaching of the mass, etc., but it also claims the right to command the civil state.
The Popes of Rome have expressly declared that the Pope is the ruler of this world. It has never resiled from these statements, or many others like them.
“The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” [1]
“The appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who, being God, cannot be judged by man.” [2]
“The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man …. he is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power.” [3]
“The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires… complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.” [4]
Protestantism condemned the papacy’s greed for temporal authority. As recorded in the book, History of the Reformation, D’Aubigne writes,
“In an appeal to the emperor and nobility of Germany on behalf of the reformation of Christianity, Luther wrote concerning the pope: “It is a horrible thing to behold the man who styles himself Christ’s vicegerent, displaying a magnificence that no emperor can equal. Is this being like the poor Jesus, or the humble Peter? He is, say they, the lord of the world! But Christ, whose vicar he boasts of being, has said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ Can the dominions of a vicar extend beyond those of his superior?” [5]
Jesus Christ did not come to this earth to live in a palace and compel obedience to Himself via the power of government. The Bible clearly describes the nature of His kingdom. It is not like the kingdoms of the empires that have risen and fallen throughout human history.
“And when the Pharisees had demanded of Him when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The Kingdom of God cometh not with outward show. Neither shall they say, ‘Lo, it is here!’ or ‘Lo, it is there!’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:19-21
“My kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my servants would fight.” John 18:36
You have an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”. 1 Peter 1:4 ESV
“Lay up for yourself treasure in heaven.” Matthew 6:19-21
“In my Father’s house are many mansions.” “I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also.” John 14:2-6
Christ teaches, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5, a standing rebuke to haughty prelates. Christ says, in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). “All those who live godly will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12
In conjunction with these principles, Christ taught the separation of church and state: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God.” Matthew 22:21. Caesar (government) is to be obeyed when Caesar stays in his lane and exercises only the legitimate authority delegated by God.[6] But the individual is not to yield to Caesar when Caesar’s claims conflict with the territory of God.
In like manner, the territory Christ instructed His apostles to win was not geographic territory or countries. Christ told His followers to preach the Gospel and win the hearts of the individuals that Christ had died for. “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19.
Jesus had 12 Apostles. History tells us that none of His Apostles were statesmen. They were preachers. Healers. Witnesses to Christ and to His resurrection. Ten of them died as martyrs, murdered for preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of Christ. The only apostle who meddled and schemed with earthly authorities for political gain was Judas. Judas the traitor.
Given Christ’s clear declaration of these unmistakable principles, Christians ought to be both alarmed and indignant at the aggressive movements of so-called “Christian Dominionism” and its “Seven Mountain Mandate.”
The Seven Mountain Mandate refers to the contention that Christians are called to control and conquer the seven prominent pinnacles of societal influence, namely family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government. [7] Members of what is referred to as the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) claim to have a mandate from Jesus Christ to conquer the seven mountains and control them for Christ. [8] Once this is accomplished, they believe that Jesus will return to this earth.
Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates, writes that the NAR movement is an expression of dominionism, defined as “the theocratic idea that … Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions.” [9]
The movement is growing rapidly. Amongst its most powerful political adherents are Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, and spiritual advisor to the President-elect, Paula White.
There are a fascinating number of significant similarities between the Roman Catholic Papacy and the NAR movement. Consider the following partial list.
1. The Papacy claims to have “apostolic authority” stemming from the Apostle Peter and running down through the line of popes. It is by virtue of this supposed apostolic succession that it takes the authoritarian positions it does.
The NAR movement also centers around the restoration of apostolic authority, “essentially reversing the Protestant Reformation’s centering of the individual believer working out their own salvationand its democratic church governance structures based on systems of elders.” [10]
In other words, the NAR movement restores a papacy-type model of human authoritarianism by virtue of its claim of having new “apostles.” Unsurprisingly, these “apostles” speak authoritatively, and their decrees may supersede Scripture. [11] This is a reversal of the Reformation and its focus on individual rights and the authority of the Bible.
The significance of this cannot be overstated.
“If you submit to their leadership, then you too will work mighty miracles. You’ll become part of a great end-time army that will bring about a world revival and cleanse the earth of evil by calling down hailstones, fire and the other judgments of God described in the New Testament book of Revelation. If you do not submit to their leadership then, at the very least, you will miss out on God’s end-time plans. And if you actively oppose the apostles and prophets, then brace yourself for the fallout. Others must be warned that you are the pawn of a powerful demon, known as the ‘spirit of religion’.” [12]
2. The Papacy is the harlot that sits on the seven mountains mentioned in Revelation 17. “The seven heads [of the scarlet beast] are seven mountains on which the woman sits.” Revelation 17:9.
The NAR movement specifically references the seven mountains of Revelation 17:9 as the target of its political and cultural efforts. [13] Thus, both the Papacy and the NAR want control of the same territory. Or, put another way, there is perhaps sufficient common purpose between them to make common cause to accomplish it. This will be discussed in more detail in the future.
3. Both the Papacy and the NAR movement expressly reject the separation of church and state. [14]
It is common knowledge that the Papacy rejects the separation of church and state. The Papacy itself is both church and state, as the Pope is the Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church, and he is also the king of Vatican City, known formally as The Holy See. As noted above, the papacy asserts sovereignty over the world.
But Protestantism in America has a long history of affirming the separation of church and state, beginning with Roger Williams and continuing with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and many others.
The express rejection of the separation of church and state by the NAR movement and its stated intention to rule over society by conquering the seven mountains is a rejection of the Bible and the teachings of Protestantism.
For the purposes of concluding this introductory article today, we wish to note the oft-cited words of Benjamin Franklin. “When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil power, ’tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
We apprehend the same.
“And To Whosoever I Will Give It”
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) claims to have a mandate to conquer and rule society in the name of Christ. Coupled with the promise of wealth and influence, it is unsurprising that the NAR has become wildly popular. Power, influence, and money—are these not the things that people love? According to some estimates, the NAR has 32 million adherents globally and is growing at a rate of nine million members per year. [15] Some estimates place its influence as much larger, especially in the United States. [16]
Popularity, however, is no determiner of righteousness or truth. Rather, Christ stated that the gate that leads to destruction is wide, and many go in thereat (Matthew 7:13).
How then is a perplexed person to know which is the right way? We are to go to the Scriptures for the answer. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).
The Scriptures record that following His baptism, Christ fasted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. When He was weak and emaciated and near the point of death, Satan personally approached Christ to tempt Him. It was Satan’s purpose to make the Savior doubt His divinity and turn Him from a life of self-denial and sacrifice if possible.
The book of Matthew records the moment when Satan offered the world to Christ:
“Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.” Matthew 4:8-11.
Satan claims this world as his own. The Bible calls him the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of this world” (John 14:30). He is the thief and liar who stole it from Adam and Eve at the fall. And Luke records that Satan bargained with Christ on the mountaintop: “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it” (Luke 4:6).
Satan still offers earthly power and wealth today. As Hollywood and the music industry well know, [17] the stated prerequisite for obtaining fortune and power on this earth is the same as it was on the mountaintop two thousand years ago: “fall down and worship me”.
Though Christ rejected the devil’s temptations on the mountaintop and rebuked him, Christian Dominionism claims to know better. Lance Wallnau, one of the New Apostolic Reformation’s “apostles” and promoter of the claim that Jesus gave the NAR the “seven mountain mandate” to conquer and rule society, asserts that things are different today. Christ now wants His church to take earthly power. He asserts that now Christ wants His church to rule the nations.
According to Wallnau:
“…when Satan offered Him [Christ] all the kings of the world in a moment of time, he said “all this is yours if you’ll bow down and worship me.” He [Jesus] said, get behind me Satan for Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and Him only shall thou serve. He rejected Nations when they were offered. But now the Father says, “I’m offering them this time. Ask.” Here’s the challenge I’ve got right now: the Father is looking for a church that will give Jesus what belongs to Him, which is Nations.” [18]
Wallnau’s claims appeal mightily to the carnal heart, but the Lord Jesus does not need His followers to take earthly power for Him. Jesus Christ is already “heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2). He has already “overcome the world” (John 16:33). The Father said to Christ, “sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool” (Psalms 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34).
The Rock that hits the statue of the successive nations from Babylon until the end of the world in Daniel 2 is a symbol of Christ, and it is “cut out without hands” (Daniel 2:34). No human assistance is required to establish the Lord’s kingdom. The work is His. The glory is His. The Rock strikes the statute in its feet and breaks “in pieces and consumes all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
Christ’s instructions to his disciples have nothing to do with taking control of governments and ruling the world. He has instructed His followers to “go into all the world and preach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, 20). He said to His disciples, “take up your cross, and follow Me.”
The temptation to Christianity from Lance Wallnau and the other NAR “apostles” is as subversive of this mission as was Satan’s temptation to Christ. “This life of self-denial, tribulation, and persecution is not for you. Oh no. You are meant to rule. You are meant to have dominion over the nations.”
“Christian dominionism,” however, is a contradiction in terms. There’s no such thing.
The word “dominion” comes from the Latin “dominium,” from “dominus,” which means “lord, master.” The new apostles of NAR claim that they are meant to be lords and masters. Is that what Jesus said?
The Bible records the story of the mother of two of Jesus’ disciples coming to Him with an unusual request.
“Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping Him, and desiring a certain thing of Him. And He said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask … And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:20-28.
Jesus says it is the princes of the Gentiles which exercise authority over their fellow human beings. Dominance is what the pagans aspire to. Christ informed his followers “ but it shall not be so among you.” This is a standing rebuke from Christ to any who will come after Him who want to make an earthly kingdom where they rule in the name of Jesus.
It is a rebuke to the papacy and its constant meddling in political matters. It is a rebuke to the “new apostles” of the NAR.
The Bible says that Satan is the one who covets dominion:
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?” Isaiah 14:12-16.
The carnal human heart is in harmony with Satan, not God. It is the fallen human heart that says, “I will ascend,” not the converted heart of the new birth spoken of by Jesus. The New Apostolic Reformation’s lust for temporal power and dominion is the fruit of the unconverted heart.
The thing Satan wants is power. His children want the same thing.
But God says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:17).
Jesus says it is the meek who will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
These are some short clips of Paula White, NAR apostle and spiritual advisor to the President-elect.
Clasping Hands
What is the link between the Papacy and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)? This installment hopes to provide some answers to this question.
On a stage in a Los Angeles stadium on April 9, 2016, NAR Apostle Lou Engle warmly welcomed a delegation from Pope Francis before a packed crowd of ecstatic worshipers. The wet weather had not deterred the throng of 60,000 people who had gathered to commemorate the 110-year anniversary of the original Azusa Street Revival, recognized as the beginning of both the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. [19] The crowd eagerly welcomed the messengers of the Pope.
Pope Francis’ delegates greeted the gathered masses in the name of the Catholic Church, and especially the 100 million-plus charismatic Catholics whose worship practice closely resembles those in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements. Charismatic Catholicism has grown rapidly around the globe, and like its Pentecostal cousins, it focuses on deep emotional experiences, uplifted hands during worship singing, speaking in tongues, and a personal relationship with Jesus. [20] Vatican II encouraged ecumenism, formally declaring that “The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council.” [21]
After effusive mutual expressions of unity and forgiveness, the Pope’s delegate and Lou Engle kissed each other’s feet before the gathered masses and the world, proclaiming a holy moment ending the “diabolical sin” of division between Catholics and Protestants. The papal delegates proclaimed, “Jesus doesn’t care about our differences [in doctrine]; “we must fly united.” The exchanges can be seen starting at the 6 hour and 50 minute mark. [22]
This incident, and other ecumenical gatherings like it, are a stunning and ominous development in the Protestant world. It is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
It is all too clear that the aims of Vatican II have been balefully successful. For Pentecostalism and the Charismatics, gone is the protest of Luther; forgotten are the lives of Huss, Jerome, and Wycliffe. Abandoned are the works of John Knox and John Bunyan. Forgotten are the martyrs who died by the rack and at the stake, killed by the papal power. Forgotten are the centuries of persecution and the suffering of the Pilgrims who fled Europe for America to escape the persecution of that worst of all evils, the combined rule of the church and the state. Forgotten are the warnings of Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Roger Williams, and many others.
For many in what passes for Christianity today, the faith of their fathers is gone. Gone is sola scriptura. Instead, the paramountcy of the Bible has been replaced with the primacy of emotional ecstasy. The doctrines of salvation are supplanted and dismissed as unimportant. Repetitive and trance-inducing rock music leads to an emotional high and what is seen by many charismatics as the worship’s climax: the ecstatic emotional utterances of congregants speaking in gibberish tongues.
Today, this worship experience is not only for Pentecostals. Its entrenchment is well advanced in almost every major denomination in the world, including, as stated, in the ranks of over a hundred million Catholics. [23]
A clip of NAR Apostle, Lance Wallnau, teaching his followers to speak in tongues can be viewed here. [24]
Bible Prophecy and the Papal Power
The Bible revealed that the Roman papacy would be dominant for a period of 1260 years. [25]
History demonstrates the truth of the infallible Word. From 538 AD, when civil power was assumed by the Bishop of Rome pursuant to the decree of Emperor Justinian, to 1798 and the capture of Pope Pius VI by Napoleon’s general Berthier, the Papacy had tremendous authority and influence over western Europe. Kings knelt at the feet of the Pope for centuries and did the bidding of the Roman pontiff.
Church and state in union brought incredible peril to the human family. The Dark Ages were marked by superstition, censorship, and persecution. It was the age of the suppression of the Bible, of the Inquisition, and the burning of so-called heretics.
With the Protestant Reformation, the power of the papacy to control the state gradually weakened until the pope of that period, Pius VI, was taken captive and died in exile in France. The Bible had prophesied that at the conclusion of the 1260 years, the papal power would receive a deadly wound, and so it did. [26]
A beast in Bible prophecy symbolizes a kingdom (see Daniel 7). There are two beasts, or kingdoms, mentioned in Revelation 13. The Protestant Reformers knew and taught that the leopard beast of Revelation 13 was the papal power. They knew from the Bible that the papacy was predicted to persecute God’s people (Revelation 13:7) and then one day receive a deadly wound (Revelation 13:3). They were aware that the book of Revelation also foretold the rise of another kingdom around the time the papacy was to lose its dominance. In 1752, the Reformer John Wesley correctly predicted that the lamb-like beast with the two horns of Revelation 13 was not far away. [27]
History shows that only one nation was rising to global prominence at the time of the deadly wound to the papal power, and that nation was the United States of America.
America is the greatest nation the world has ever seen, and it was founded on an express rejection of papal teaching and authority. The papacy vehemently opposes the separation of church and state. [28] The U.S. Constitution requires a separation of church and state in the First Amendment. [29] The Papacy is opposed to liberty of conscience. [30] The U.S. Constitution protects liberty of conscience and religious liberty as a God-given right. [31]
The papacy is opposed to freedom of speech and freedom of the press [32] and maintained a list of banned books for centuries. [33] The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the Founding Fathers taught that without a free press, liberty would perish. [34] The papacy systematically trampled on the principles of due process both before and during the centuries of the Inquisition, torturing people to obtain a confession to so-called heresy. [35] The U.S. Constitution constitutionalizes due process, including a right to remain silent, [36] and rejects torture. [37]
The Bible foretold that the Bride of Christ would flee into the wilderness to escape the dragon and the power of the Roman papacy. Ultimately, Protestantism found its way to the New World, and one of the last great wilderness areas on the planet. How fitting that the lamb-like beast, the United States, comes up “out of the earth” (Revelation 13:11), as opposed to the point of origin of the other beasts in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13! Geographically, those other beasts come out of the water and specifically find their geographic location around the Mediterranean, as noted in Daniel 7:2. But America rose from the ground of the New World.
The Declaration of Independence repudiated the contentions of the church/state system and thus rejected the dominionist claims of the Pope. The Founders trumpeted that human rights come from God, not from the state. The Founders declared as “self-evident truth” “that all men are created equal, and endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
“Righteousness exalts a nation.” Proverbs 14:34.
America’s protection of the rights and freedoms of humanity has brought it greatness. Its secret strength, like Samson’s, has its source in the Almighty. America was raised by the Lord as a haven for the persecuted and as a place where the Gospel and the light of the Scriptures could be proclaimed to all the world. Individual rights, constitutionalism, and the separation of church and state have made America great.
But like Samson, even the mighty may fall.
Samson, the mightiest man recorded in the Scriptures, fell through continued liaison with a harlot. Judges chapters 13-16). Delilah wooed him and plied him with her charms until he violated the secret trust between himself and God and gave up the secret of his great strength. In liaison with the Philistine civil powers, Delilah cut his hair and took his power. His two eyes were put out, and his liberty was taken from him.
Sadly, the Bible predicts that America will fall the same way. The harlot who seeks America’s power is the papal harlot, described in Revelation 17. Long has she sought to bring America to its knees.
The NAR apostles also want political power. The Papacy is more than willing to ally with the NAR to accomplish her ends. In 2016, NAR leaders met personally with Pope Francis to discuss their mutual interests. [38]
Conclusion
The Bible foretells that the Papacy’s deadly wound will be healed (Revelation 13:3). The Bible states that the world will wonder after the first beast, the Papal power, and it is. And the Bible states that America and the Papacy will work together to bring about the final events of Bible prophecy.
Today, both the New Apostolic Reformation and the Catholic Integralism of the Heritage Foundation, which openly advocates for a reunification of church and state, are within striking distance of their goal. This will be the subject of an upcoming installment in this series. For now, we conclude with words written nearly a hundred and thirty years ago regarding the events now taking place before our eyes:
“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” (Great Controversy, p. 588).
About: Visit Wings of Liberty’s website to learn more – https://www.wingsofliberty.net
Sources
[1] Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, Cities Petrus Bertanous.
[2] Pope Nicholas I, Labb IX Dist.: 96 Can. 7, Satis evidentur, Decret Gratian Primer
[3] Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, 1763, Volume VI, ‘Papa II’, pp.25-29
[4] Leo VIII, On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens, Encyclical letter, 1890
[5] D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation, b. 6, ch. 3; see also Great Controversy 88 140.3
[6] This point will be examined in greater detail in an upcoming article.
[7] https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/the-seven-mountains-revelation/news-story/be825c6262f5e764a3c2cbd385442702
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mountain_Mandate
[9] https://politicalresearch.org/strategy/pra-news/meet-new-apostolic-reformation-cutting-edge-christian-right
[10] https://www.salon.com/2024/01/02/meet-the-new-apostolic-reformation-cutting-edge-of-the-christian-right/ [emphasis added]
[11] https://www.biola.edu/blogs/biola-magazine/2015/a-new-reformation#:~:text=NAR%20leaders%20call%20their%20new%20movement%20apostolic,be%20greater%20than%20the%2016th%2Dcentury%20Protestant%20Reformation
[12] R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec, God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement, Pivec, Weaver Book Co., December 2014.
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mountain_Mandate
[14] https://www.biola.edu/blogs/biola-magazine/2015/a-new-reformation#:~:text=NAR%20leaders%20call%20their%20new%20movement%20apostolic,be%20greater%20than%20the%2016th%2Dcentury%20Protestant%20Reformation
[15] https://www.rutlandherald.com/opinion/perspective/on-faith-new-apostolic-reformation/article_c9d37e4b-b7af-593a-8443-515b2dcda749.html
[16] https://www.texasobserver.org/new-apostolic-reformation-texas-leaders/ – some estimates place the number of Christians in America influenced by NAR teachings as high as 33 million.
[17] See for example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vOJ-UoZ7uo
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9InAiJYH5I, “The 7 Mountains of Culture 3”
[19] https://news.ag.org/en/article-repository/news/2016/04/what-azusa-had-and-we-need
[20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Charismatic_Renewal
[21] Unitatis Redintegratio, the Decree on Ecumenism (1964, #1).
[22] https://youtu.be/ZK2DkDKejcs
[23] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLmMHdYjWGI
[24] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZi9F-5pXf8
[25] Revelation 13:5 – the time period of the 42 months is the same as the time period of the 1260 years mentioned in Daniel 7: . Using a Hebrew lunar month of 30 days, 42 months is 1260 days. The day for a year principle of prophetic interpretation is found in Ezekiel 4:6.
[26] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-OX2Fzr1IU
[27] https://ccel.org/ccel/wesley/notes/notes.i.xxviii.xiv.html
[28] Pope Pius X, Vehementer Nos, 1906: “That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error.” “Hence, mindful of Our Apostolic charge and conscious of the imperious duty incumbent upon Us of defending and preserving against all assaults the full and absolute integrity of the sacred and inviolable rights of the Church, We do, by virtue of the supreme authority which God has confided to Us, and on the grounds above set forth, reprove and condemn the law voted in France for the separation of Church and State, as deeply unjust to God whom it denies, and as laying down the principle that the Republic recognizes no cult. We reprove and condemn it as violating the natural law, the law of nations, and fidelity to treaties; as contrary to the Divine constitution of the Church, to her essential rights and to her liberty; as destroying justice and trampling underfoot the rights of property which the Church has acquired by many titles and, in addition, by virtue of the Concordat. We reprove and condemn it as gravely offensive to the dignity of this Apostolic See, to Our own person, to the Episcopacy, and to the clergy and all the Catholics of France. Therefore, We protest solemnly and with all Our strength against the introduction, the voting and the promulgation of this law, declaring that it can never be alleged against the imprescriptible rights of the Church.”
Also see – Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos, 1832: “Nor can We predict happier times for religion and government from the plans of those who desire vehemently to separate the Church from the state, and to break the mutual concord between temporal authority and the priesthood. It is certain that that concord which always was favorable and beneficial for the sacred and the civil order is feared by the shameless lovers of liberty.”
[29] First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
[30] Pope Pius IX, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, said: `The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.’ Pius IX, in his Encyclical Letter of December 8, 1864, also anathematized `those who assert the liberty of conscience and of religious worship,’ also ‘all such as maintain that the church may not employ force.’
[31] First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
[32] Pope Pius IX, Mirari Vos, 1832: “This shameful font of indifferentism gives rise to that absurd and erroneous proposition which claims that liberty of conscience must be maintained for everyone. It spreads ruin in sacred and civil affairs, though some repeat over and over again with the greatest impudence that some advantage accrues to religion from it. “But the death of the soul is worse than freedom of error,” as Augustine was wont to say. When all restraints are removed by which men are kept on the narrow path of truth, their nature, which is already inclined to evil, propels them to ruin. Then truly “the bottomless pit” is open from which John saw smoke ascending which obscured the sun, and out of which locusts flew forth to devastate the earth. Thence comes transformation of minds, corruption of youths, contempt of sacred things and holy laws — in other words, a pestilence more deadly to the state than any other. Experience shows, even from earliest times, that cities renowned for wealth, dominion, and glory perished as a result of this single evil, namely immoderate freedom of opinion, license of free speech, and desire for novelty. https://rsf.org/en/dangerous-comments-pope-freedom-expression
[33] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum
[34] “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost” -Thomas Jefferson, 1786. “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1787.
[35] https://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/fox105.htm
[36] The Fifth Amendment states: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-5/
[37] https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/constitutional-amendments-amendment-8-freedom-excessive-bail-fines-and-cruel-punishments
[38] https://www.hollypivec.com/blog/2016/06/nar-leaders-meet-with-the-pope/6045
Leave a Reply